Amid the sea of flowers and mourners at Sydney's Martin Place, siege survivor Harriette Denny set up her own tribute for her slain boss, Tori Johnson.

The "fake sheik" behind the deadly Sydney cafe siege railed against Australian "terrorism" on his website a day before he took 17 people hostage.

Man Haron Monis brought a nation to its knees. After taking 17 people hostage he was in charge, helping empty the heart of Sydney.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will urgently review how a lone gunman known to federal police and ASIO was able to take hostages in a Sydney cafe.

Whenever there is a dramatic event, social media instantly comes alive with comment and conjecture as facts vie for attention with fiction.

Hostages caught in Sydney's siege have revealed how some of them managed to escape when the gunman's back was turned.

Haron Monis was known to authorities for a string of offences.

A flurry of loud bangs erupted just after 4am NZ time as a swarm of heavily armed police stormed a downtown Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is urging Australians to go about their lives as normal despite the terrorist siege in Sydney’s CBD.

Qantas' spate of incidents is "unusual" but there's no evidence of slipping safety standards, an aviation expert says.

A fourth Qantas plane has been forced to turn back mid-flight, marking a second day of trouble for the airline - but its boss says "it happens all the time".

Sue Baxalle returns from an Aussie health and fitness retreat bursting with energy.

Two children and their mothers have been flown from rising flood waters on the NSW coast as wild storms batter the region.

If you're going to be whacked by a golf ball, it may as well be hit by one of the greats, finds Cameron McMillan.

Travel disasters give us great stories, but drama-free holidays are golden, writes Tristram Clayton.

For sale: 287 homes, most in spitting distance of Sydney's Opera House. Wanted: Somewhere to shift a low-income, angry community.

Residents of a small southern New South Wales town are scared there could be a random killer in their midst.

Sculptures strung like pearls around Bondi are fascinating, writes Catherine Smith.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has offered support for clinical trials of medicinal marijuana being considered in New South Wales.

The instant the lift doors close the unexpected happens. "Are you lonesome tonight, do you miss me tonight?" croons Elvis as I travel between reception and my eighth-floor room.

Lisa Martin finds exploring Australia's mining heritage from Sydney to Perth on the Indian Pacific is poetry in motion.

Downunder wakes up to sports tourism, but Dylan Cleaver passes on the hotdog.

Winston Aldworth stays at a stylish Sydney property.

British ex-pat Paul Wilcox joked with his step-father: "I always wear a wetsuit and I use a lot of sun lotion. The sun's not the problem, the sharks are.”

A man risked his life as he entered blood-drenched water to try to save a swimmer being attacked by a shark at a popular New South Wales beach.

Stephanie Simons takes a trip to Sydney ... and finds a city that's a big country town at heart.

A life of wealth and privilege has come crashing down on Harriet Wran, youngest daughter of the late New South Wales Premier Neville Wran, who has been charged with murder.

Just 90 minutes' drive from Sydney lies this incredible landscape of soaring mountains, rugged canyons and precarious pathways.

Justine Tyerman finds the perfect spot for a final family holiday ahead of her daughter's OE.